Improvement in railroad-car heaters and ventilators



c. F. WHOBFJ Rai I read Car-Heaters a-nd Ventilators.

Patented April 22, 1873.

WITNESSES INVENTO R1 Ody/m fi a E, J

. AT TYS.

AM PHOTfl-L/TIIDGRAPH/C 00. Ml (0890mm? mucmg) UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES r. wnonr or sit. LOUIS, ivussonnr.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR HEATERS AND vEnTuA oRs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,062, dated April 22, 1873; application filed 7 December 19, 1872.

To all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that I, CHARLES F. 'WHORF, of

,St. Louis, county of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain Improved Heater and Ventilator, of which the following is a specification:

' The improvements here shown specifically represent a heater and ventilator for railway cars, steamboats, vessels, and the like. The invention, however, is generally applicable to all purposes of heating and ventilating private and public buildings, hot-houses, conservatories, &c.'

The constructive nature of the invention can be stated as follows: An ordinary heater or furnace is used, its bottom forming part of a base in such a manner as to leave open space at back and sidesto allow air outside the car, room, or floor to enter for heating purposes; said outside currents of air becoming heated and rarefied within an outside casing which completely surrounds said heater, and is supported on the inner rim, with which the base is provided. The base is formed with a further annular rim having a series of orifices to allow the foul or impure air in the car or room ready passage into a ventilating-space formed by a further surrounding outside casing, and which has a ventilating-shaft out of which said impure air exits, thus establishing a perfect system of ventilation; One or more tubes or pipes communicate from the outside casing to the heated space surrounding the furnace, allowing the heat or warmth from same to'pass out into the car or room to be heated. Thesaid tubes or pipes are provided with dampers so arranged as to cut off the supply of warmth, and allow the surplus thereof to exit out of ventilator; thus the degree of warmth can be controlled and regulated according to the temperature required.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my said improvements I will now more fully describe the same, referring to-- Figure 1 as a sectional elevation; to Fig. 2 as a part bottom plan; to Fig. 3 as a front elevation; and to Fig. 4 as a detail perspective, showing damper arrangement.

A represents a suitable heater or furnace; A, smoke-stack or pipe. B is the base with open center, and is cast with an inner rim, b,

and outer rim b. The ash-pit bottom of the heater A forms part of the rim b, or if made detached is supported by it, an open space, a, being left between said rim and the back and sides of the heater, as shown in Fig. 1. G is an outside casing which is properly at tached to the rim 1) of the base,and said casing completely surrounds the sides and top of the heater, the object of the casing 0 and the openings to being to establish communication through the floor of the car with the outside atmosphere. The cold air from outside passes up through bottom or base into the space formed by the casing (l and heater A, (see arrow, Fig. 1,) and said cold air becoming rarefied from the radiated warmth of the heater is thus utilized for heating purposes. In case of buildings, currents of outside air can be introduced from outside the room, through the floors, or from hall, or directly from outside the building, by a suitable arrangement of pipes or air-ducts. As, therefore, the cold air from outside flows in the casing C, strikes the heater A, and is heated and vaporized, it is utilized in conjunction with the heat from the heater, to give the continued fresh supply of warmth or hot air required for the room. D is an outside casing which is properly attached to the rim b of the base. E are tubes or pipes, one or more of which can bearranged to communicate from the heater to the outside casing D, to allow hot air to enter the car. In case of buildings, E are pipes to pass to the required room to be heated, similar to the application of ordinary hot-air furnaces.

The casing D completely surrounds the cas= ing 0 and heater A, forming the ventilating space d, (see Fig. 1.) At top, the casing Dis provided with a ventilating stack or shaft, F, which surrounds the smoke-pipe A, the object of the casing D and its stack F being to achieve a perfect ventilation, by which the cold and impure air from the car or room can be caused to escape as the warm or hot air enters tosupply its place. This is accomplished by allowing free passage of the lower strata of cold or impure air through series of orifices d, with which the outer rim b of the base is provided.

As indicated by arrows, Fig. 1, the foul or impure air from the car or room entering the base B ascends the ventitating-space d, from thence out of ventilating-stack F above the roof of the car, or out of chimney. The ven-.

, tilation here shown is, therefore, achieved at achieved with great advantages of economy,-

a further advantage of the ventilator here shown being the rarefaction of the impure air in its passage through the ventilating-space d, and as it exits out of ventilating-stack or chimney in strong currents it causes the smoke and outgoing vapors to retain their warmth or rarefied condition, and affords same a more capacious exit; also prevents down currents of outside air, and otherwise obviates the difficulties experienced from smoky chimneys.

In order to control and regulate the admission of warmth the tubes E are provided with dampers e. Said dampers are operated by a turn-rod, c and arranged in such a manner as to control an orifice, 6 in the tubes E, which communicate to the ventilating-space d or control the outlet of said tubes into the car or room. (See Figs. 1 and 4.) By closing the orifice e the hotair is allowed to enter the car or room, and when the outlet proper of the tubes is closed said orifice is opened, and

the surplus hot-air exits out of ventilation. G is a ventilating-cowl top of car roof, and arranged so as to move or swing properly with the currents. nace. G is the ash-pit door.

As a car-heater and ventilator the device is perfectly safe, cheap, and practical.

Having thus fully described my said improvements, what I claim is 1. The combination of base B, the heater A, and casing O, the base having the central opening a communicating with the outer air, and with the chamber formed between the heater A and casing 0, this chamber being provided with apertures discharging into the 'car and into the ventilating-shaft, the discharge being regulated and controlled by dampers, as described.

2. The combination of the base B provided with openings d, with the chamber between the casings (J and D and the ventilator-shaft, by which means impure air is drawn fromthe' room and discharged into the open air, as described.

3. The combination of base B, rims b I), openings at, orifices d, casings O and D, tubes or pipes E, dampers e, ventilating-shaft F,

when arranged to operate as and for the pur-.

pose set forth. k

In testimony of said invention I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES F. WHORF. Witnesses:

WILLIAM M. HERTHEL, CHAS. MEIsNER.

G is the door leading to fur- Y 

